Pearl Izumi Pro Barrier Lite Jacket

The Pearl Izumi PRO Barrier Lite Jacket offers excellent wet weather protection – it's very packable, and capable of shedding even torrential downpours for a short period of time.

Some packable jackets on the market claim waterproofness, but in reality fall short of it, only able to deal with showers before being overwhelmed by their own fragility. The Barrier Lite is no such garment – it really could claim to be waterproof.

> Find your nearest dealer here

Taken out in a wintry deluge – and I mean a real deluge – it lasted the full 10 minutes I could bear to be out in it, keeping me dry underneath. Even when used for intermittent showers on longer rides, it was a dream in this regard, with water beading off effectively and efficiently. It only begins to come unstuck in prolonged rainfall.

It's a good start, and there's more. The cut of the jacket is slim without being restrictive, which means water has a hard job sneaking down your neck and up your wrists, and features a long tapered back to help protect your rear from spray. It's helped all the while by elasticated cuffs that superbly retain its position against the wrists and around the waist and neck, whatever position you adopt on the bike.

The fit is almost guaranteed by the thin softshell panels that run across the shoulders, down the flanks and down the middle of the back. While still waterproof, they offer that ideal amount of stretch around the relevant areas – a real bonus around the shoulders I found, with my swimmer's build. The sleeves don't feature this stretch, but their length means you have enough to play with in terms of fit anyway.

When not required, it packs down well, squashing into a single pocket. You may get a touch of overspill if you have small pockets and because of the slight extra material the softshell panels result in, but it's definitely not a deal breaker; as long as the bulk of the jacket is packed away, it'll stay securely in place. And when required, it opens up without fuss on the go.

> Read our guide to the best winter cycling jackets

Breathability is always a question mark with packable rain jackets – no one wants a boil-in-the-bag situation – and happily, I can report decent performance here. Although it doesn't quite match the Endura FS260-Pro Adrenaline race cape in this regard, it's still mightily impressive, only undone by wearing too many layers underneath in tandem with riding at a high tempo.

Taking it off after a four-hour ride for which I had overdressed, moisture had condensed on the underside but I'd never felt cold or wet, which suggests it had done a good job of diffusing the moisture outwards.

Additional features? On the test piece I had, in gloom-ready grey and hi-visibility green, that green features on the high-quality and easy-to-use zip and over the single, centrally positioned rear pocket. There are also flashes of reflective material in the logo on the chest, and branding on the tail.

All in all, this is a well-rounded packable jacket, definitely suitable for cool conditions and capable of repelling a good amount of water. It's a smart buy, and though expensive it's worth the asking price, I'd say, as it'll last and see you through much of the winter season – if you can avoid really prolonged rainfall.

Verdict

Excellent packable jacket that offers even better protection and performance than Pearl Izumi claims